This Biomedical Informatics Core (BIC) will provide informatics services to support the basic science, preclinical and clinical research programs in each of the NBC research themes (Bacterial Pathogenesis and Therapeutics, Viral Pathogenesis and Therapeutics, B-Cell Related Prophylaxis and Therapeutics, Vaccine Platforms, Diagnostics, and Clinical Paradigms and Immunology: Smallpox). BIC will simultaneously pursue research projects in genomics, proteomics, structural biology, preclinical and clinical informatics designed to 1) rapidly characterize and identify virulent factors of pathogen genomes, 2) delineate the relationship of the pathogen genome to other known genomes, and 3) to provide rapid large scale functional annotation to assist in the immobilization of the pathogen. The resulting set of disparate data will be integrated with BIC services in a Pathogen Platform software environment that can be readily accessed by the appropriate NBC researchers. Thus, the two missions of the BIC will enrich one another. Additionally, the BIC will provide services addressing 1) the storage (a Digital Pathogen Facility/Bank for annotated genome and pre-clinical data), 2) transfer (education on secure file transfer using the SFTP protocol, or the PGP-based encryption of e-mails) and 3) manipulation of sensitive pathogen data in a secure digital laboratory environment (Digital Pathogen Facility of the Pathogen Platform software environment). To understand pathogen biology, pathogen-host interactions, and pursue rational approaches to vaccines and therapeutics, investigators will need to integrate an increasingly large and complex wealth of clinical, genomic, and proteomic data. Research problems will emerge through efforts to address service needs. The ability of the BIC to anticipate and respond to challenges will be enhanced by research programs pursued by members of the BIC. In periods of emergency, the BIC will rapidly realign it activities in coordination with the NBC to assist response efforts.